Episode #1773
Game 1 Week is Here: Cousins Locked In, Jeanty's Status Still a Mystery
Regular season week is finally here, and Scott Gulbransen opens with the two storylines Raider Nation can't stop arguing about. Kirk Cousins is officially the Week 1 starter, but Scott reads between the lines of head coach Klint Kubiak's "he's earned it" comment to explain why that's a football decision, not a philosophical one about Fernando Mendoza's future. Then it's the Ashton Jeanty question everybody's asking: two-plus weeks removed from his August 23 ankle sprain, still without a practice rep, but hearing surprisingly upbeat language from the front office. Scott breaks down the gap between what's being said publicly and what's actually shown up on the practice field, and points to one roster decision that tells you more than any quote does. In this episode: Kubiak's exact quote naming Cousins the Week 1 starter and why Scott thinks it's being over-read as a long-term stance on Mendoza, the case for and against playing Mendoza sooner rather than later, Scott's updated Mendoza timeline (now more likely Week 7 or 8 than after the bye), a full timeline of Jeanty's ankle injury through GM John Spytek's September 1 comments, why the Raiders keeping only three running backs on the 53-man roster is the real signal to watch, rookie defensive end Kyron Crawford's season-ending Achilles injury, a shoutout to depth signing Patrick Johnson, and a note on Allegiant Stadium's newly approved $75 million north entry upgrade. Scott also previews Saturday's radio premiere on KDWN 101.5 FM in Las Vegas (moved up to 4 PM this week only, streaming on the Audacy app), which includes an interview with longtime Dolphins beat writer Chris Perkins ahead of Sunday's opener. Be part of the show: call or text 702-907-8697 (confirm digits before publishing — flagged below), or email mail@silverandblacktoday.com . Find us on YouTube, X, Facebook, TikTok and Spotify: search Silver and Black Today. Silver and Black Today is part of the BLEAV Podcast Network. Chapters: 00:00 Show open — Labor Day recap and five days to kickoff 00:57 Saturday's radio simulcast moves to 4 PM on KDWN 101.5 01:37 Three things on today's show 02:12 Viewer question — Jeanty full go, limited snaps, or out entirely 03:27 Kirk Cousins named the official Week 1 starter 04:03 Breaking down Kubiak's "he's earned it" quote 05:56 Where that leaves Fernando Mendoza on the depth chart 07:00 The case for playing Mendoza sooner 07:56 The case for sitting Mendoza behind Cousins 13:49 Scott's verdict and his updated Mendoza timeline 17:56 Ashton Jeanty's actual practice timeline since the August 23 sprain 19:57 What Kubiak and GM John Spytek have said publicly 22:56 The roster tell — why the Raiders kept only three running backs 25:47 What the front office's silence signals about Jeanty's plan 27:23 Kyron Crawford's season-ending Achilles injury 28:55 Why Patrick Johnson's roster spot deserves more attention 32:16 Zooming out on the roster build heading into Sunday 34:26 Where the receiver room still needs to prove itself 37:23 What Scott's watching the rest of this week 39:33 Recap — send in your Jeanty and Mendoza predictions 44:44 A note on Allegiant Stadium's $75 million entry upgrade 48:33 Saturday's radio show and the Chris Perkins interview 49:04 Sign-off — five days to kickoff vs. the Dolphins Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
